ADP: 158,000 Jobs Added in March, but No New Construction Jobs

The overall U.S. economy fared better, adding 158,000 new jobs in March, according to the payroll firm and their partner Moody’s Analytics.

Automatic Data Processing (ADP), a leading provider of payroll services, has released its March employment report, which it creates each month in association with Moody’s Analytics. According to their calculations, the national economy added 158,000 jobs (from nonfarm private employers) in March 2013. Numbers from February were revised upward by 39,000 jobs (from 198,000 to 237,000), and January’s were revised down by 38,000 (from 215,000 to 177,000).

ADP and Moody’s report doesn’t break down the data in as detailed a way as does the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics in its monthly report (due to be released Friday, April 5), so the analogous Architecture and Engineering Services” category can’t be plumbed for a comparison. (See last month’s federal jobs report story for more.) The category of Professional/Business Services, where architects and engineers would most likely be located, did have a very strong month, with 39,000 jobs added to that segment.

ADP and Moody’s do break out the goods-producing segment into separate manufacturing and construction categories. Manufacturing added 6,000 jobs in February; construction broke its string of jobs gains, which had lasted for more than half a year. There were no reported losses, but net job gain for the construction industry was zero.